The Ekiti State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) has commenced a 6-day training workshop for 600 mathematics and science teachers from across the state.
Declaring the workshop open at Ikere-Ekiti, the Chairman of Ekiti SUBEB, Prof. Femi Akinwumi explained that the focus was to improve the methodology for the teaching of mathematics and science subjects in public primary schools in the State.
Prof Akinwumi described science subjects and mathematics as fundamental courses that must be handled with tenacity of purpose adding that provision of solid foundation for pupils in mathematics and science subjects was a major prerequisite for them to become medical doctors, engineers and renowned professionals in other allied occupations in future.
Stressing that tutors are vital stakeholders in the quest to ensure qualitative education, Akinwumi reiterated the resolve of the Kayode Fayemi-led administration to ensure proper training and retraining of teachers in the State.
He said that SUBEB organized the workshop with the theme, “Strengthening Mathematics and Science Education” (SMASE) in conjunction with the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC) to primarily expose teachers to the latest methodologies that could be used to arouse the interest of pupils in supposedly more difficult subjects.
“Teachers who teach science subjects and mathematics need to be confident with what they are teaching, they also need to have appropriate techniques and strategies of motivating the pupils to have interest in the subjects because if these subjects are not taught well at the basic education level, it will extremely difficult for pupils to catch up at a higher level in future”, Akinwumi emphasized.
According to him, SUBEB in partnership with UBEC, had trained over 12,800 teachers, head teachers, school principals, school support officers and other staff of public schools on modern teaching methods and other ways of improving service delivery in schools from the last quarter of 2020 to date.
Akinwumi assured that the State Government would continue to improve the basic education sector through development of the teaching and learning environment, continuous and robust monitoring of schools to ensure standard, equitable distribution of teachers.
He also assured that government would continue to establish new schools to guarantee access to school especially now that school enrolment in the state had increased due to the introduction of the free compulsory education policy by the Fayemi administration.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Permanent Secretary , Mr. Oluwadare Ajayi who was represented by the board’s Director of Quality Assurance , Mr. Dele Owolabi, explained that Strengthening Mathematics and Science Education Programme was introduced in Nigeria in 2012 through the assistance of the Japanese Government with the aim of improving quality of teaching mathematics and science subjects in terms of attitude, pedagogy and mastery of content.
He urged the participants to pay rapt attention to resource persons at the workshop so that the programme will achieve the required multiplier effect on the teaching and learning of the subjects in schools in the state.
Also speaking the Director Training of the board, Mrs. Temotope Olusola-Shittu stressed that participants at the traning were expected to Cascade the training when they return to their various schools.
Responding, one of the beneficiaries of the training programme, Mr. Makinde Babatunde said he had tremendously impacted by the exercise especially on attitudinal changes.
Mr. Babatunde promised to utilize knowledge acquired to deliver his lessons.
Also speaking another participant, Mrs. Miracle Ojo explained that methods of teaching was initially teachers centered but now the training has exposed them to various methods that will allow school children to interact freely with their teachers.
